123: Archaeological activities at the Yunhezong site

Crossing that peril-filled swampy water, Gao De's group finally arrived at the area marked on the map.

The scene before them was just as Green Edge's scouts had reported—an ancient ruin thoroughly eroded by time.

Deep in the river valley, ancient palaces stood among the mountains, but they had long since lost their former glory.

Thick vines coiled around the collapsed halls like giant pythons, and gnarled ancient trees grew directly out of cracked roofs and walls, completely merging the buildings with the mountain forest.

Thick, dark green moss covered everything, and the air was filled with a damp, decaying scent and the Aura of ten thousand years of silence.

On the high mountain ridge, a massive stone hall stood tall; though also dilapidated, its structure was relatively intact, and one could vaguely see its past grandeur, as if it were the heart of these ruins.

Gao De led Green Edge and Iron Pincer, walking cautiously through these deathly silent ruins.

They saw a forest of stone steles, most of which were broken and had blurred inscriptions; they discovered an overgrown burial area with tombstones leaning every which way; they stepped into the ruins of the Library Hall, but unfortunately, there were only shredded beast-hide scrolls, bamboo slips turned to dust, and the residue of Jade Slips that had lost their Spiritual Qi and crumbled at a touch; they also explored the so-called Beast-Rearing Valley, which now held only gnarled tree roots and no trace of any living creature.

The scope of the entire ruins far exceeded the scale of the Green Wave Sect, but time was heartless, long ago returning everything to its original form, rotting away with the vegetation.

In a relatively intact side hall ruin, they found a fairly well-preserved stone stele.

Gao De brushed away the moss, revealing blurred characters:

"Seventh Sect Master of the Yunhe Sect, Hong Lie..."

Beside it were some scattered words, vaguely recording a buried past: a Sect named 'Yunhe Sect' had migrated all the way from the land of 'Nanyang' to escape the wars of the Pre-Qin era, eventually retreating deep into the Yunmeng Marsh to seek peace and development.

"Yunhe Sect... Nanyang..." Gao De silently noted these keywords.

This explained why the Hundred Beasts Sect Elder's map had a relatively simple mark for this place; perhaps a thousand years ago, the Yunhe Sect had already declined or was hidden so deeply that it was unknown to outsiders.

And the land of 'Nanyang' seemed to be an ancient place name within the territory of the Human Race.

They finally arrived at the massive stone hall located on the mountain ridge.

The stone hall's gates had long since collapsed, and the interior was vast and dark, with only a few rays of light shining through holes in the vaulted ceiling, illuminating dancing dust.

The most eye-catching thing inside the hall was not the Sect Master's throne or Legacy items they had imagined, but a large number of incomplete murals and inscriptions on the walls!

These murals had an ancient style; though their colors had faded over the ages, some content could still be identified: they seemed to depict Yunhe Sect Cultivators commanding water dragons, summoning clouds and rain, and surveying water veins, along with complex patterns regarding sacrifices and astrology, highlighting the Sect's unique water-attribute Cultivation Techniques and their study of celestial phenomena.

What caught Gao De's attention most was a simplified map of water veins carved on a relatively intact wall. Its center was not Dongting Lake, but a certain deep-water area of the Yunmeng Marsh, with several blurred ancient characters marked beside it—one of which was clearly the word 'Eye'!

"Eye?" Gao De's heart stirred. Could there be something unusual about this place?

Aside from this word, there were no other clues on the murals.

He carefully searched the entire main hall and finally found a blue Jade Pendant of special texture, half-buried in the mud within a crack in the foundation stone where the Sect Master's seat should have been.

The Jade Pendant felt warm to the touch, and inside it seemed as if water were flowing. Although its Spiritual Qi was restrained, Gao De could sense a trace of pure water Law Aura within it, as well as a faint, illusory feeling similar to 'flowers in a mirror, the moon in water'.

"This Jade Pendant... seems to be some kind of token, perhaps recording some core Legacy or information of this Sect." Gao De carefully put it away, planning to study it slowly after returning.

Aside from this Jade Pendant, it seemed no more valuable physical Legacies could be found in the entire Yunhe Sect ruins. The power of time had erased most traces.

"It seems the Yunhe Sect has completely vanished into the long river of history." Gao De stood at the main hall's entrance, looking down at the ruins merged with the mountain forest.

"However, the Jade Pendant and the scattered information on the walls they left behind might still have some value. The residual insights of a Sect skilled in water-attribute Cultivation Techniques might serve as a reference for my cultivation of the Purple Heaven Dragon Transformation Art."

Although he didn't obtain any direct Cultivation Techniques or Magic Treasures on this trip, the gain in information was equally important.

The migration history of the Yunhe Sect and this mysterious blue Jade Pendant added several key pieces to Gao De's puzzle of the ancient Yunmeng Marsh.

With this mysterious blue Jade Pendant and the scattered history of the Yunhe Sect, the trip could be considered worthwhile.

Next, he needed to properly digest this information and study the mysteries of that blue Jade Pendant.

Standing under the dilapidated porch of the Yunhe Sect's main hall, Gao De looked down at the ruins completely blended with the mountain forest, feeling no great disappointment in his heart.

The power of time was enough to obliterate most traces; it was already not easy to obtain a blue Jade Pendant containing the Aura of water Law and some key information.

"Know fear when strength is small; do not be greedy when gaining." He silently recited his own code of conduct.

The overall Legacy of the Yunhe Sect had clearly dissipated with time and could not be forced. But... that didn't mean there were no omissions.

"Master, it seems... there's no more profit to be squeezed from this place." Iron Pincer waved its giant claws, smacking its mouth as it looked at the devastated ruins.

Green Edge flicked its snake tongue, sensing the subtle flow of Spiritual Qi in the air, and said cautiously, "Master, the Spiritual Qi here is thin to the point of being non-existent, and life is extinct. It doesn't look like there are any heavy treasures hidden here."

Gao De's massive flood dragon head swayed slightly, his Purple Lightning-like pupils flashing with calculating light. "On the surface, that is indeed the case. But for a power that could migrate such a long distance and establish a Sect of this scale here, its core area might not lack things hidden very deeply or buried by the changes of time. What we see is only what time wants us to see."

He never fully believed in appearances.

Especially since the scope of these ruins was so vast, yet they had only explored the part above ground.

"Prime Minister Turtle once said, 'Dig three feet deep, and there may be lost pearls.'" Gao De issued orders while mentioning Turtle Three Thousand's advice. "Green Edge, take the small demons skilled in drilling and focus on exploring the underground of the Library Hall, the Beast-Rearing Valley, and this burial area to see if there are any secret rooms or buried items. Be careful, move lightly, and do not cause a large-scale collapse."

"Iron Pincer, lead a team of Warriors to clear the back of the main hall and the junction with the mountain, checking for any hidden compartments, corridors, or entrances blocked by rocks and mud."

"Yes! Master!" The Two Demons took their orders and left.

Gao De himself circled above the main hall, his Divine Sense spreading out like mercury, combined with the reverse application of his Breath Concealment talent—extreme sensitivity to energy fluctuations—carefully scanning every inch of land and every brick in this core area.

He focused on sensing areas where that blue Jade Pendant might resonate, while simultaneously circulating the Purple Heaven Dragon Transformation Art, attempting to draw out any extremely faint traces of water Law that might remain here.